Metric Architecture and Mirror Structure in a 1926 Illustrated Corpus by Gyula Zilzer: The NEVS Model (Narrative-Editorial Visual Structure)

This article introduces the NEVS model (Narrative-Editorial Visual Structure), a framework for the analysis of the architectural organisation of sequential visual narrative at corpus scale. The study examines a 1926 illustrated corpus by Gyula Zilzer based on Émile Zola’s Nana, identifying a system of metric and positional constraints governing image sequencing. The analysis demonstrates the presence of modular structures, fixed interval segmentation, and higher-order symmetries, including a mirror configuration between two distinct corpora. Not all regularities identified possess the same epistemological status: while some operate as verifiable structural constraints, others emerge as relational properties requiring further methodological development. The findings suggest the existence of a coherent architectural system underlying the corpus, offering a new perspective on visual narrative organisation and contributing to the theoretical development of sequential image analysis. The corpus analysed may also be described as an editorial unicum, defined as a complete and closed corpus endowed with a coherent paratextual system, a functional inventory, and no evidence of publication or editorial circulation.